Commissioner Still Expects N.B.A. Players to Stand for Anthem

Commissioner Adam Silver held a news conference at the conclusion of meetings held by the league’s owners in New York this week.CreditJulie Jacobson/Associated Press

By Scott Cacciola

Sept. 28, 2017

Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday that the N.B.A. would continue to require players to stand for the national anthem before games this season.

“It’s always been an opportunity in our arenas for both teams to come together and have a moment of reflection,” Silver said, adding: “It’s about respect for the country they play in. It’s about respect for the principles that underlie this country. It doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone agrees at any given point with what’s happening in this country.”

Silver, who was speaking at a news conference at the conclusion of meetings held by the league’s owners in New York this week, cited a longstanding league policy that calls for players and coaches to stand. Despite that policy, the league has been widely lauded for leading the most socially progressive major sports league in the country, and has not had to deal with the backlash that is now facing the N.F.L., which last week was attacked by President Trump for allowing players to sit or kneel during the national anthem as a way of protesting racial inequality and police brutality.

But with the start of the N.B.A.’s season just weeks away, and some of the league’s biggest stars, including LeBron James, openly criticizing the president and his policies, Silver may have to decide whether he will punish players for breaking league rules by staging protests during the anthem.

“All I can say is, if that were to happen, we’ll deal with it when it happens,” Silver said.

Last week, the president disinvited the defending champion Golden State Warriors from visiting the White House after Stephen Curry, one of the team’s stars, told reporters that he would rather not go. (James subsequently called the president a “bum” on Twitter.)

In the wake of the president’s decision, Silver said in a statement that he had been in favor of the Warriors visiting the White House, calling it a “rare opportunity for these players to share their views directly with the president.”

On Thursday, Silver lauded the league’s players for their social activism and community outreach. He also described “freedom of expression” as one of the country’s core principles, even as he reiterated the league’s longstanding policy on the anthem.

Said Silver: “It is my hope, though, that N.B.A. players, given the platform that they have, whether it’s the regular engagement they have with the media, whether it’s social media, whether it’s other opportunities they have to work in the communities, that they have those opportunities for their voices to be heard. Then, to act on those voices.”

LOTTERY SYSTEM At the same news conference, Silver announced that the league’s owners had approved changes to the draft lottery system in an attempt to discourage teams from losing on purpose.

Tanking, as the practice is known, has been a central part of the rebuilding process for several teams in recent seasons, most notably the Philadelphia 76ers, who have made an art of collecting top draft picks by being awful at basketball. But Silver has made it known that he wants to de-incentivize losing, and a vast majority of owners are now on board.

Under the new system, which is set to take effect in 2019, the three teams with the worst regular-season records will each have a 14 percent chance of winning the lottery. In the current system, the worst team has a 25 percent chance of securing the top overall pick.

Silver called the new legislation “far from perfect” but said that it was an improvement.

“I felt lottery reform was important because there was a perception in many of our communities that the best path to rebuilding their teams was to race to the bottom,” he said. “I don’t necessarily agree that that’s the optimal strategy to create a great team, but it became currency in this league.”

PLAYER REST Silver also said that teams would be prohibited from resting healthy players in high-profile, nationally televised games. Any violation of that new policy would result in a fine of at least $100,000. In addition, teams will be discouraged from resting multiple players in the same game or from resting any healthy players on the road.

“It ultimately is my hope that the rules go in the drawer and that teams step up here and see that there is a larger obligation to our fans, to the basketball community,” Silver said. “It’s connected to the lottery reform, as well: to put their best product on the floor and create great competition.”

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B13 of the New York edition with the headline: N.B.A. Will Still Require Standing During Anthem. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe